Clamp-barrel for clock-springs



(No Model.) BEST AVAxLABLE COP" 0.3mm? CLAMP BARREL POR'GLOGK SPRINGS.

No.' 391,885. Patented 0013.30, 1888.

u. meas. mm wm ma UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

BESIAl/AlLABLE COP` CHARMES E. EHERY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW' YORK.

CLAMP-BARREL FOR CLOCK-SPRINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 391,885, dated October30, 1888.

Application filed December 8, 1887. Serial No. 256,859. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLEs E. EMERY, of Brooklyn, Kings county, NewYork, (office, New York city,)have invented a new and uscfnl Clamp-Druinfor Clocks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, reference being had to theaccompanyi ng drawings, forniing part oi" this specification.

IIn the cheaper form of clocks, of what I call the going-arbor type,77it is customary to for-m a loop in the outer end ofthe mainspring, whichis slipped over one of the posts of the frame, and the motion iscommunicated to the great-wheelarbor or staff by connecting thesame-with the spring at the center, the great wheel being driven througha pawl by a ratchet-whecl on such staff. In such an arrangement thegreat wheel is receiving no power from the spring during the operationof winding. In another plan used, called the goingbarrelf used inwatches and marine clocks, the spring is coiled :in and. the outer endsecured to a drum carrying the great wheel, while the center of thespring is secured to the staff, 'which is turned only during theoperation of winding, and at other times is held fast bya ratchet-wheelon same engaging with a pawl on the frame. The latter plan has theadvantage, first, that the winding is done in thc same direction as themovement of the great wheel, so that the latter is receiving the forceof the spring during the operation of winding as well as at other times,and, moreover, the outer coils of the spring are kept concentric withthe axis and wound ofi' regularly from the staff to the interior ofthebarrel, whereby a more uniform force is imparted to the train than bythe method first described, in which the mainspring, as it runs down, isby its side attachment carried laterally through the openings betweenthe posts of the frames, and which in case of breakage is liable toinjure the mechanism of the clock. Vith a going-barrel the spring andbarrel are removed together as a unit in taking down the clock. Vith thegoing-arbor forni the spring ordinarily flies out as the plates of theclock are separated unless such spring be first wound tight and a clampformed like the letter C .be

slipped over it and the spring released within it, in which case thestaff, great wheehspring, and clamp may be taken out together.

The object of this invention is to provide for usc in connection withthe going-arbor arrangement a combined clamp and drum which will holdthe spring within bounds the same as the ordinary jobbers clamp, butwhich may at the same time be secured in the case so as to hold theexterior of the spring, when in operation, concentric with the arbor,and thus secure three of the features of excellence of the going-barrelplan-to wit, the centering of the spring, the facility of removing samewith the great wheel and its arbor, and the keeping of the spring inbounds in case of breakage, though notof itself forming aretaining-power, as in the ease-of the going-barrel.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side View, partly in section, showing theframes, pillars, and great Wheel, with going-arbor and spring. Fig. 2 isa sectional elevation of a portion of the clock with the front plateremoved and a shorter spring than would ordinarily be used applied toshow the general features of coustruction. Fig. 3 is a face view of aclampdrum of the simplest form.

A is the rear plate of the clock, to which are secured pillars o a2 cf'.y

A is the front plate of the clock, attached to the pillars by screws inthe usual way.

B is the great wheel, and bits arbor, the two being connected on thegoing arbor plan through a ratchet-wheel, c, and pawl on wheel, as iscustomary.

The dotted' lines D are intended to show the location oftheseconds-wheel andthose marked d the location of the pinion on thesecondswheel staff. A

E represents the mainspring, and F the improved clamp-drum. The innerend of the mainspring E is to be secured to an enlargement of the mainarbor or staff b of the great wheel in the customary way, and the outerend of same is preferably to be secured by causing a hole in the same toengage with a hook,f, on the interior of the clampdruni F, therebyenabling the clamp-drum to be made a continnous ring. A s shown by thedotted lines at g, the drum may have a notch cut through its IOO sideand the spring be lun through the same, so that a loop thereon willengage with a pillar or stud in the customary way.

The general features of the clam p-drum in simple form are shown onasmall scale in Fig. 3. Such drum may be simply a short cylinder ofmetal to contain the spring, provided with a hook, f, to receive the endof the spring, and means should be provided to keep the drum concentricwith the staff b of the great wheel in any customary manner-as, forinstance, by pins hh h, against either one of which the protruding endof a pin,f, or othervprojection may engage to prevent the drum fromturning. In practice, however, it is preferred to make thc drum a littlecasting of T-shaped scction, provided with arms j j j, Fig. 2, to engagewith the regular pillars necessary to secure together the plates of theclock, such as a a2 a, and as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

XVhen but two pillars are available, the ends of the arms are to beformed into eyes to extend entirely around the same, as at a2 a3,- butwhere three or more pillars are available and suitably located the endsof the arms may simply be notched to engage with them, as shown at a.The thickness of the clampring when formed of a casting, as shown atFig. 1, need not be the entire width of' the spring, but more resemblethe ordinary clam pring, which is generally made of large wire.

The clamp-drum is to be kept in position near the center of the springbyprojections i ton either side, secured to the clamp-drum or the' armsof same, and abutting loosely against the .plates A A', so that when thefront plate, A', is in place the drum will be kept in positionconcentric with the staff b by the arms j j engaging with the pillars,and in proper position in relation to the depth of the clock by theprojections i t". The projections it'may, howcver,be fastened to theframes and abut against the clamp-ring. The clam`p-drum thus ar BESTAVAiLAsLE coe' ranged will always keep the spring central, and thuspermit it to be wound to and from the interior, as in the going-barrelsystem; and, moreover, when the front plate, A', is removed, the springwill simply lic closely against the clamp-drum, and the great wheel andits stali", together with the spring and clamp drum, may all be removedtogether by simply slipping the arms jjj off the pillars a a t3- anoperation as easy as theuse of an ordinary clamp in jobbing work. Thecustomary stop-motion on winding-arbors may in general be omitted whenthe clamp-drum is used. l

Vhat I'clai'n as my invention, and desire lo secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A ring-clamp drum for clockmovcments disconnected in constructionfrom the plates butheld in position between them by suitable projectionsin such manner that it may be removed with thc spring andarbor,substantially as specified.-

2. A non-revolving clamp-drum for clockmovements removable as a wholewith the mainspring and provided with, first, a ring to receive themainspring'; second, arms or points of contact to engage with pillars orequivalents in the clock-frame, and, third, studs or projections toapproximately x the distance of the ring from the plates. A

3. In combination with the springarbor of a clock and pillars or studssecured in the plates thereof, a non-revolving clamp-drum provided witharms j j, constructed and operating substantially as described.

4. In combination with the spring-arbor and the plates of a clock, and anon-revolving clampdrum, projections t i, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

CHAS. E. EMERY.l

\Vitncsses:

-GnoRGn C. PENNELL,

Ron'r. M. RnEvs.

